In 1971, the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) and the Missouri Library Association (MLA) created a children's choice reading program, The Mark Twain Award, named after Missouri author, Mark Twain. Since 1981, the program has been sponsored solely by MASL. Each year a list of 20 nominated books is compiled by readers representing library and educational organizations in Missouri. Books of the award list are chosen to meet the following criteria: published two years prior to nomination on the Mark Twain Master List; interest students in grades four through eight; written by an author living in the United States and be of literary value which will enrich students' lives. Books on the Mark Twain list are selected to provide quality reading for a variety of tastes and interests.